Terminology of shifting

With little experience, kids new to riding with gears quickly figure out how to find "easier" and "harder" gears. Adults can easily select these, too, but describing "bigger" and "smaller" gears or "shift up" and "shift down" can be a bit of a confusing and contradictory process, no matter your age.

The main concept in speaking the language of gears is the difference between a physical gear (i.e. chainring or cog) and the gear ratio. The physical gears are what you shift to determine the gear ratio you pedal against. You can shift the front or rear derailleur to select a different chainring or cog. These shifts change the gear ratio. The trick is that moving to a bigger chainring makes a bigger gear ratio (a "harder" gear), while shifting to a bigger cog makes the opposite, a smaller gear ratio (an "easier" gear). This is where the confusion arises.

So let's lay out the common terms used in describing the range of gears.

Ordinary bicycle.

• Chainring. The large gear in front attached to the crankset; either 1, 2, 3 different chainrings depending on the style of bike. Also referred to as the front (e.g. "shift up in front") or something related to the front derailleur; or a ring (i.e. big ring or small ring).
• Cog. The smaller series of gears in back; ranges from 1 on a single-speed bike up to 11 or 12 on new road bikes. Also referred to as the back or rear (e.g. "shift up in back"); sprocket; cassette; or cluster.
• Teeth/tooth. The number of teeth on a gear. Commonly 50, 52, or 53 teeth are on the big chainring in front with a road bike, and 11 or 12 teeth are on the smallest cog. Often abbreviated as "T" as in 53T chainring, but also often omitted to call a chainring simply a 53. Chainring combos are usually referred to as 53/39 (big ring, slash small ring), and cassette series are usually referred to as a range from the smallest to bigger cog, as in 12-25.
• Gear combination. The number of teeth of the chainring and cog that is being used. It's usually expressed as 53×12 if the chain is resting on the 53T chainring and the 12T cog.
• Gear ratio. The mathematical ratio that compares the combination of the front and rear gears: Gear ratio = Chainring ÷ Cog. For example, if the chain is running on a 53T chainring and a 12T cog, the gear ratio = 53 ÷ 12 = 4.4167. Note: the nomenclature for gear combination makes it look like you multiply the numbers (e.g., 53x12), but in reality you divide them to figure gear ratio.
• Gear development. Also commonly referred to as roll out, this is the distance the bike travels with one full revolution of the pedals. It is the product of the gear ratio (chainring ÷ cog) and the circumference of the rear wheel (wheel diameter × π). Therefore gear development = (chainring ÷ cog) × (wheel diameter × π). For example, riding in a 53x12 with a 700/23 rear wheel wheel results in (53 ÷ 12) × (26.3 inches × π) = 4.4167 × 82.6 inches = 364.8 inches, or 30 feet 4.8 inches. The reason for calculating gear development is to account for different wheel sizes that bikes use, such as the variety of common wheel sizes on mountain bikes.  
• Gear inches. Still used to refer to gear sizing in track racing, this concept is a throwback to the days of the ordinary bicycle and indicates the size of wheel that would be necessary on an ordinary bicycle to match the gear development of a modern bike. That means, instead of using a combination of gears like on a modern bike, what size wheel would be required on an ordinary bicycle to cover the same distance with one revolution of the pedals. It is calculated as: gear inches = (chainring ÷ cog) × wheel diameter. For example, (53 ÷ 12) × 26.3 inches = 116.2 or just short of 10 feet. Since you'd need legs more than 5 feet long to pedal an ordinary bike this big, you can see why gears were invented!

To summarize the key parts of those terms, the chainring and cog combination determines the gear ratio (gear ratio = chainring ÷ cog). Because people use similar wheel and tire sizes, gear development is not often used when taking about gears, and gear inches are usually reserved for track racing.

So why all the terms, definitions, and math? As I pointed out earlier, we still haven't gotten to what it means when someone says, "Shift up!" or "Use a smaller gear." So let's get to the point.

If someone says smaller or bigger, take this to mean a smaller or bigger gear ratio; unless chainring or cog is specifically stated, bigger and smaller gears refer to bigger or smaller gear ratios. That means that a bigger gear means a harder gear to push and a smaller gear is an easier gear to push.

Keeping on this same theme, shifting up means shifting to a bigger gear ratio—a harder gear to push—and shifting down means a smaller gear ratio—an easier gear.

The trick is to pay attention for references to the cogs, though. If someone says, "Shift your cassette up," this does not mean the same as, "Shift up." Instead "Shift your cassette up," refers to going to a bigger cog in back, which is actually shifting down to an easier gear.

So why don't cyclists use the terms easier and harder to describe gears? Who knows!?
They just don't, and it's terminology that usually is reserved for beginners, so as you get used to the phrases and the meaning becomes clear, it's no longer a problem.

But to give some examples of the many variations, here are a list of terms and phrases that refer to bigger and smaller gears.

Shifting to a harder gear (bigger gear ratio)

• Shift up
• Put it in the big chainring
• Drop down your cassette
• Use a bigger gear
• Use a smaller cog
• Put it in the 12 (or 11; i.e. use the smallest cog)
• Use the big meat (big chainring)

Shifting to an easier gear (smaller gear ratio)

• Shift down
• Put in the small ring
• Go up your cassette
• Shift to a smaller gear
• Use a bigger sprocket

Favorite new tool: Kool-Stop Tire Bead Jack

If you’ve learned how to change a tube, then you know about tire levers. They’re small and get the job done, but I don’t know anyone who likes them. You fight to get a grip with one, then fight to get the tire where it needs to go. If you’re trying to mount a tire that is especially tight, this can be a long, finger numbing battle ... one that I haven’t always won, and I bring a good amount of skill and experience to the process.

I happened to run across a comment about a tire jack tool. I wasn’t sure exactly what it was referring to but with some quick digging I found it! The Kool-Stop Tire Bead Jack might not replace your set of tire irons on the road—although, it’s small enough that it’s possible—but it’s a dream for your toolbox to use at home or out of your car.

Anyone who’s changed a tire knows that slippage on the tire and/or rim while using tire levers is just part of the trial and error process of mounting a tire. No longer! The Tire Bead Jack provides a secure hold of the tire and a very secure fulcrum point for lifting the tire onto the rim.

At about $12, it’s not expensive. You might not use it every day, but if you plan to keep riding your bike, you’ll probably see how a tool like this would be a great asset to avoid those tire mounting struggles.

Selecting a Bike Rack for your Vehicle

Bike racks come in about as many options as there are vehicles to put them on. Roof, trunk, or trailer hitch mounted, with or without front wheel removed, holding 1–4 bikes (or more if you see those ProTour team cars). The list goes on and on and every manufacturer has what seem like infinite options.

To help you get started, the following list provides some considerations to make that will help you focus on the style of rack that will best fit your needs. Picking the manufacturer and features is up to you.

• Ease of use: how difficult is it to put bikes on the mounts or simply reach the rack (e.g. roof racks on full-sized vans require a ladder)
• Rack’s impact on use of car: does the rack block or alter your access to different parts of the car (e.g. impair or prevent access to doors, truck, tailgate, etc.)
• Quality of attachment: what’s the risk of the bikes coming off the rack; what’s the risk of the bikes being damaged (i.e. things rubbing together)
• Security of the bikes (theft prevention): how/if the rack can be locked to the car and the bikes locked to the rack
• Dirt and bugs: amount of junk that will get on your bikes while traveling
• Carrying capacity: how many bikes, wheels, and other gear can be carried
• Cost: what are you willing to spend for the rack and its affect on fuel efficiency

Make sure to consider your type of vehicle (van, SUV, sedan), amount of gear, amount of travel, your budget, and other individual factors as you consider the list above. What’s good for one person won’t work for another so don’t just get the same thing your teammate got unless your situations are pretty similar.

I rarely carry more than one bike and have found that the best balance of all these factors means putting my bike in the trunk. It’s easy, secure, keeps the bike clean, and it’s free, but it doesn’t work well when I need to carry 2 bikes. I’ve used trunk and hitch racks and been moderately happy with them (work fine but limit/prevent trunk/tailgate access). My family even used to have a custom made trailer that could haul four bikes, a gross of wheels, tools, and leave enough room for a cooler, too. Next I’ll get a roof rack when I need to start carrying more bikes because it’ll allow me to get a box for carrying skis in the winter.

So figure out what works for you and then get shopping. Thule, Yakima, Saris, and Rocky Mounts are just a few names out there.

Riding Inside: Rollers vs. Trainer

It’s the season for riding inside, and if you are considering whether to go with rollers or a trainer for your indoor sessions, the following information will help you make the right decision for your needs.

Basics to Look for when Shopping

Three qualities are central to a trainer or rollers that will perform well: quiet operation, road-like resistance, and good quality.

First, and foremost, I highly recommend that cyclists select a high quality set of rollers or trainer with the needed features. You will notice poor quality or missing features every time you ride indoors, and since a trainer or rollers often last many years, you miss these features for a long time. While a top of the line bike will add a few thousand dollars on top of what a basic racing bike costs, a top of the line trainer or rollers are only $100-200 more (not counting the computerized models that measure power or connect to a video game-like interface). So spend the money—it’s worth it!

Now that you know to bite the bullet and pony up a couple of extra Ben Franklins, the two things to look for are quiet operation and road-like resistance.

Quiet operation is simple. Do you have other people living in your house or apartment building that you prefer not to drive crazy? Do you like to be able to hear music or the video you’re watching while riding? Then you want a quiet trainer or rollers. No model is whisper quiet, but some border on jet engine loud due to the mechanisms, fans, or vibrations involved. Higher quality models tend to use designs that are also quieter.

Road-like resistance is the last characteristic to look for. When riding on the road, wind resistance increases exponentially as you go faster, and you want this to be imitated by your trainer. This graph shows how wind resistance increases with speed.

I am a fan of fluid resistance because it imitates on-road resistance well, and as a result of the limitations of the other two popular mechanisms, magnetic and fan resistance. Fan resistance units do a good job of providing road-like feel, but they are really loud. Magnetic resistance is another mechanism used, and it is (usually) quiet but does not provide road-like resistance. As a result, magnetic units often have an adjustment knob/lever so you can increase it for harder workouts or decrease it for easier workouts. These adjustments either require dismounting to adjust or necessitate mounting the knob/lever at the end of a cable so you can reach it while on the bike, making for a more cluttered device. You may also see a combination of resistance units used on a trainer to take advantage of the benefit of each design and limit its disadvantages.

Pros, Cons, and What to Look For

With that background information, this Rollers vs. Trainer PDF gives the skinny on the ups and downs of trainers and rollers, plus some key traits to be aware of when shopping.

SPOILER ALERT: After looking at the chart of pros and cons, it seems obvious to me that the best choice is a trainer for it’s safety and superiority in doing hard workouts. So why will you find me on rollers 90% of the time? Because the balance learned riding rollers can’t be learned any other way, and because it feels like riding a bike outside as it moves more naturally under you, rather than held rigidly in place like on a trainer.

From a coaching perspective, I highly recommend that riders learn to ride rollers, but it is hard to recommend them as a first purchase for new riders because they take a while to learn to ride and do have some inherent risks. If you have a few hundred extra dollars laying around, get both a trainer and rollers!

What I Ride

My rollers are Kreitler Dyno-Myte (now called the Kreitler Alloy with 2.25” drum), and I highly recommend them. They have excellent quality and respectable road-like resistance without having an extra resistance unit to attach. Riding really easy/slow is difficult without a small gear on the bike (due to the high resistance of the rollers) but the resistance works pretty well for doing harder efforts (the Kreitler Alloy 3” provides a little less resistance). They have been very durable and long lasting—mine are nearly 20 years old and likely will last many more years.

My trainer is a CycleOps Fluid 2, which I also highly recommend. They have very good road-like resistance, which has been great for workouts, and their fluid resistance design does not require any additional resistance unit or resistance adjustment. Like many trainers that clamp to the rear wheel, the Fluid 2 does require a strong and simple skewer for the rear wheel as fancy skewer knobs don't fit in the wheel clamp and even strong skewers can bend after many rides with the bike clamped in place well. I recommend finding and using a simple, steel skewer that you only use when riding the trainer (not on the road). If it bends a little, no big deal. The only other downside of the trainer is that it holds my track bike a bit off-angle (bike leans to one side) due to a track bike's narrow rear axle, but it works fine with my road bikes.

Some Last Tips

A couple of things to keep in mind when riding inside:

• Make sure you have a big fan (i.e. box fan) to use when riding inside as you will get extremely sweaty without one (two or more fans are even worth using if you have them).
• Don’t use your best tires while riding rollers and especially a trainer. The roller will polish then wear the tire out pretty quickly. Cheap, wide tires usually last longest on a trainer or rollers and are worth buying to save your good tires and even reduce/prevent sticky rubber build up on the roller that happens with those great cornering tires. You can even buy special trainer tires designed specifically for a trainer, which are especially good for long trainer life and keeping the sticky stuff off the roller.
• Make sure to inflate tires before every ride to help prolong tire life, get the most consistent performance, and maintain the best contact with your tires and the roller(s).

[updated 9-30-11 and 1-29-12 for links and clarity]